A Change of Heart
by Diao Lover
Summary: Cao Cao followed Dong Zhuo into the room, golden sword in hand as he waited for the perfect opportunity. Listening to Dong Zhuo as he spoke, he knelt down like any dutiful, loyal servant would and watched with hungry eyes, willing for Dong Zhuo to turn around. His grip tightened. Dong Zhuo turned and Cao Cao raised the sword, all he needed was a few more seconds and he'd kill him.
1. Empress He

**Hey and I'm back to the world of DW fanfiction! I've had a really long break from writing on this site and it's quite sad but this story is featuring Diao Chan as a main character, it's a remake of my previous story A New Heart. Every character in this series, minus Diao Chan just for this story, will use their DW8 outfit and appearance.**

 **This chapter is the beginning, kind of a prologue of start and will not feature Diao Chan. Instead it'll feature Empress He, using her Blast appearance. Li Ru will also appear and he'll be stealing Li Jue's Blast appearance. This story is semi-AU as it won't follow history much at all. It's the first of a series so I hope you all can read and review it!**

 **Diao Chan for this story will use her DW3 outfit with her DW8 appearance, so basically her DW3 DLC costumes. Any other character, bar Li Jue (because Li Ru uses his) will use their DWBlast or DW8 outfit and appearance.**

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Perfection. Deception. Connection. Those three words were what Empress He considered to be the rules she lived by. The first two, perfection and deception are truly marvelous traits especially during these times.

It was true, everyone loved, admired and dreamed of the idea of perfection and having it. While Empress He knew she wasn't perfect, no one was truly perfect after all, she was pretty damn close to the ideal of perfection.

Deception was a wonderful talent few people have and something even less people could see through, luckily for her she was one of the few able to both use it and see though it. That mere thought filled her gorgeous head with pride.

Connections. Connections. Connections. They proved very useful in various ways, her family connections had been the exact thing that got her married to the Emperor and in turn her half-brother He Jin used his connections with her to get a higher position. She even used her connection with him to solidify her power in the imperial court.

Beauty was a thing that could also get you very far in life, however beauty was proved to be futile if you didn't have the brains to use it to your own advantage. It was a double-edged sword at times, capable of harming both you and your enemies.

She, and plenty of others certainly, considered her to be an extremely great beauty as well as an intelligent woman. With a malicious and sultry laugh, the fond memory of how she poisoned and killed Consort Wang and got away with it returned to her. Perhaps she'd be fortunate enough to have that same plot work again.

With luscious hair almost as dark a brown as ebony, enchanting brown eyes and dreamy pale complexion brought in as many men as her elaborate headdress and black, creamy and purple dress did with jealous looks of women.

Empress He was currently the main power in China as her biological son had died just a few months ago and her husband long deceased. There was no immediate threat to her throne and she loved the power it gave her.

Regardless of the fact there was no immediate threats it didn't mean she was free of enemies. Dong Zhuo was growing in power, his tyrannical and corrupt attitude frightened her and she was aware that he would make a grab for power soon.

"How insulting." The seductress murmured to herself before reaching into her overly large sleeves, her hand returned holding a small bottle of light purple liquid or in other words a vial of poison.

"Dong Zhuo thinks he can trick me, ha. How delusional is that man, does he not know how many men I have conquered as an Empress?" Twisting off the lid, she placed the vial down for a second as she poured wine into four cups.

"I didn't fuck my way up to the top. I earned that top spot and I intend to stay on the top for a very long amount of time." She stated bitterly, her voice full of annoyance and determination.

"Oops." Giggled Empress He as she divided the poison evenly into three of the wine filled cups, the purple colouration disappearing into the wine as she swirled each cup of wine so it'd blend in. "My hand must of slipped."

A cunning smiled planted onto her face, she slipped the now empty vial back into her robe as she sat on the extravagantly large, fluffy looking, gold and white bed. The smile still on her face as she waited for the rats to walk into her trap. Sharp claws were well hidden in her dress, she was the predator and Dong Zhuo the prey.

Dong Zhuo was set to arrive any second with his dreadful nephew Dong Huang and his devious, irritating son in-law Li Ru. He was well aware that slimy Li Ru killed her son and she wanted to exact revenge on him. A servant walked into the room, bowing lowly as Empress He looked at her with bored eyes.

"Empress He, your guests have arrived." She spoke and the temptress waved her hand and spoke regally, "Let them in and leave once that has been accomplished." The pitiful looking girl nodded and hurriedly left to obey the orders given.

"Ah Beauty He! It's lovely to be in your presence once again." The pig look-a-like Dong Zhuo snorted as he walked in, his little piglets flanked both of his sides.

"I was informed you had pressing matters to discuss with me." Said Empress He with a devious smile on her face, her alluring voice spoke once more. "Come, sit. Have some wine, my gift shall we say." She offered, sitting and taking a sip of her cup of wine, the only one that contained no poison.

"Always elegant and graceful, you truly are divine!" Praised the sickly looking Li Ru who's skin was as white as ice, but to He's dismay he didn't take a sip of the fateful drink as Zhuo and Huang raised the cups to their lips.

Dong Huang, Zhuo's foolish nephew, downed the liquid immediately and when the fit of coughs started He's eye twitched when Zhuo hesitated to sip his. "It's quite strong!" Huang claimed as the coughs continued, blood having been sprayed onto his hand.

Huang's eyes widened with horror and realization as the light died out and they rolled back into his skull and he feel face first to the table, dead. Empress He wasn't able to suppress a chuckle at his stupidity.

"What is the meaning of this!" Growled Dong Zhuo with a loud and clear voice but Empress He's catlike movements shocked everyone as she had already unsheathed her sharp, retractable claws and dung them into Li Ru's side.

"I believe the meaning is your death." Purred Empress He as she switched targets and pounced onto Dong Zhuo with the blood on the claws having dropped onto the floor but the fat pig was quicker then Empress He presumed and before she was able to comprehend it, Zhuo's serrated sword had penetrated her side just before her claws slashed his stomach.

A feminine gasp was heard as the sword was deep in her side, nearly going straight her and he pulled it out and the dark, crimson blood poured out of the venomous beauty, reminiscent of a waterfall.

"A mere servant and yet you have the nerve." Empress He uttered softly but furiously, denial replacing the victorious smirk on her face. How could she miscalculate? Her plan had been foiled and a mere swine was her murderer. Oh how the mighty fall.

"Now now, my dear Beauty He. I was going to let you live but unfortunately you proved yourself to be useless and deceitful shall I say. Your reign must come to an end and I will rule through your son Xian. He will become a puppet and once I decide to cut his strings, I will become Emperor." Dong Zhuo chuckled darkly with a sadistic look in his soulless eyes.

Empress He frowned as the lights were slowly assimilating and her life began to fade away and slip out of her grasp. She shook her head out of pity with a hint of denial.

"You truly are a fool. Do you think such an outrage will be forgiven? The people will not let you get away with this." Empress He spat, wobbling slightly before letting out a evil and maniacal laugh.

She collapsed to the floor ungracefully, hands in front of her face as her pretty pale head hit the ground. Her life began to flash before her eyes and all of her most important memories rushed through her head, simultaneous with the blood that was rushing out.

Empress He struggled with ferocity to survive, clutching futilely but desperately at the polished tiles as if they'd give her the strength to survive. They proved to be of no assistance as Dong Zhuo and Li Ru laughed with such joy at her struggle.

Just before the darkness overtook her eyes, almost in a seer like trance He saw the image of a young dancing girl, dressed in commoners clothing but with the beauty even greater than that of the prettiest Goddess.

More images of the girl ran through her head as she danced through the ages, the world turned lifeless to something full of love and energy. And that was when the dancer danced over the burning corpse of the swine Dong Zhuo.

Eyes wide as Empress He decided to add prophet to her long list of talents as she began to cackle like a crow, her laugh loud and unending as she gave in to her wounds and stopped her struggling. How fortunate was she? While Empress He may of failed, that dancer would succeed in murdering that damned pig.

Finally dead, Empress He was no more but her laughter would echo throughout the palace and all of Luoyang throughout the night for everyone to hear and remember. It marked the beginning of a change in China, a new power struggle and new heroes would arise. Perhaps it would even provide a change of heart for some people.


	2. Planting the Seed

A pool of blood surrounded the now deceased Empress, the crimson liquid tainted her robe and brought ruin to her natural beauty, her lips forever frozen in a smirk and her glazed eyes glared up at something unknown to everyone.

The elderly man bowed down on his knees in respect for the late woman and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. A terrible tragedy indeed." He mused to himself, knowing that despite her cruelty and slight tyranny Empress He prevented chaos.

This old man with hair that has long turned grey was intelligent and cunning, this man was Wang Yun a loyal supporter and servant to the Han despite it's many flaws and mistakes, both from the past and the ones present.

"Something terrible has happened, the fragility of the peace will soon come to an end. I know Dong Zhuo played a part in this, he must be stopped." Wang Yun spoke to himself, hand on chin as he looked at the corpse and inspected it once again before continuing on his journey home.

Elsewhere amidst delicate, pretty and vibrant flowers was a gorgeous, stunning young maiden. She was kneeling amongst all the flowers and once her head was raised, the moon started to shy away as it was embarrassed as she was far more beautiful than it.

Tears were falling from her face, splattering upon contact with the green grass and as more were produced the stars and moon began to shine brighter, perhaps an attempt to cheer her up or perhaps they were revelling in the fact this talented servant was upset.

She was wearing a very modest grey, pink dress of some sort with a few dark blue, gold and bright colours scattered onto it. Two fresh flowers were pinned on a gold shell as a type of headdress and it's not hard to tell that she was a dancer and she was becoming known for her unequalled talent in dancing, she was also considered by some unequalled in singing and to a lesser extent beauty.

Her lovely brown hair that contained a slight red tint was pulled up into a slightly elaborate style and the pink ribbon swayed and shook in time with her body as her sobs grew more frequent and louder.

When Wang Yun arrived home he found it unusual that his dancing servant girl hadn't greeted him, it was extremely odd and he was about to call out her name but before he could loud sobs coming from the garden attracted his attention.

A wistful smile grew on his face and he walked in the direction of the sobs and he found the dancer curled up in a ball. "Diao Chan! I have arrived, I'm back my dear." In a swift and comforting motion, he placed his hand on her shoulder and crouched down next to her.

"Empress He is dead, no doubt a result of her clashing with Dong Zhuo." He informed her and understandably, her cry didn't wane it got worse and as the moonlight shone on her, it was clear that she was even pretty when she cried.

"My darling girl, why are you crying?" Wiping her eyes briefly, Diao Chan slowly gave her answer and she knew it was going to be perfectly heartfelt, she rehearsed her little routine all day after all.

"Oh Father!" She wailed, "I want to help, you've become so miserable ever since that Dong Zhuo has started. It causes you so much grief and I wish that there was some way I could help and repay you for all you've done for me!"

The answer was not a surprise to Wang Yun and he smiled knowingly, quite proud that his adopted daughter had inherited his manipulative and cunning trait. She was a marvellous actress but he could see through her little ploy. "My dear daughter, you don't need to try and make me feel better by helping me. There is no reason for you to repay me."

Diao Chan continued to let the tears flow as she turned to face Wang Yun, grabbing his hand as a sign she wanted support and her bright blue orbs stared into his. "You've done so much, i just wish I was valuable." After the crying approach didn't work, she decided to go for the guilt route.

The light illuminated her and enhanced her beauty and an idea formed in Wang Yun's head as he remembered just how deadly a cunning beauty can be. Plus her little guilt angle had worked on him, he knew it was an act but she was good at making him feel bad and guilty.

"Perhaps you can help me but it'll be incredibly risky, dangerous and I won't force you into doing it." Her teary, dreamy eyes shined like the stars in the sky as lips the colour of strawberries broke into a smile. "Anything! I'll perform any dance no matter the risk!"

"This dance is difficult, you'll need to be on toes and ready to improvise at any moment. The main steps however are for you to capture the hearts of Dong Zhuo and his adoptive son Lu Bu and turn them against each other, until Lu Bi is so enchanted by you he'll kill Dong Zhuo in a heartbeat."

All she could do after that was smile deviously, Chan was not a malicious or cruel girl by any means. In actuality she was probably the sweetest thing in all of Luoyang, definitely easy on the eyes and had an amazing talent to charm and draw in almost everyone around of her.

Wang Yun worked hard to protect her from those who would cause her harm but she was now mature, she was nineteen and was more than old enough to be married and after spending ten years of raising her, educating her and protecting her, he knew she was destined for great things.

She was still innocent and her heart was full of all things good and she'd never willingly cause harm to anyone but that would have to change. Diao Chan's hand clutched onto Wang Yun's. "Father, I'll do it. I'll remove myself from the light and begin this terrible dance in the dark."

Wang Yun smiled sadly at her but shook his head, "My dear. You have always been way to kind for this old soul, I will travel with you on your dance and try to support you. Now off you go, get some rest. You'll be having an eventful week."

Diao Chan nodded her head, rose to her feet, took one long look at the garden surrounding her and walked with such a serene aura around her, Wang Yun struggled to not chase after her and tell her to forgot about his ploy.

Dong Zhuo was a terrible menace and one that needed to be removed of immediately, and if anyone could figure out how to eliminate that threat it was Wang Yun. While he contributed very little to Empress He's ploy, he was aware of it and started to form his own ploy in the case of the Empress He's failure.

And now he had two. His first ploy consisted of the influential and courageous lady Zhao E and involved the aid of Cao Cao and his two cousins, the Xiahous. His second ploy, his back up ploy, consisted of his adopted daughter Diao Chan charming the beast Lu Bu and the tyrant Dong Zhuo and turning them against each other.

Surely at least one of those two ploys would succeed, he was treading into dangerous territory and starting a very dangerous game, he wasn't even sure if he would survive himself. A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts and he went to the front door to open it.

His first ploy was starting to come into play. A tall gorgeous woman with black hair and blue armour covering her body stood with a hand clutched onto a sword and a steely expression. Standing next to her was a figure also dressed in blue who inspired many, a figure of strength and intelligence. Even without looking at the facial features, Wang Yun knew the man was Cao Cao.

"Come in! Come, I'm glad you could both make it!" Wang Yun ushered the two in, checked his surroundings for any enemies or spies and shut the door, walking them through to the kitchen where he had a few cooks prepare them all a meal, so as to create noise so no one could listen in on the treasonous discussion.

"Explain to me the ploy Wang Yun, something in this city is off. The streets are so eerily quiet and I get this odd feeling resonating in my stomach when I walked here." Cao Cao claimed and Zhao E turned a hardened gaze onto him before switching it to Wang Yun, nodding her head in agreement.

Wang Yun stirred the tea that was put down in front of him as he sighed, before looking at the two warriors. "Empress He acted rashly and did not logically think out her moves. Dong Zhuo lost a relative to her but he enacted revenge and Empress He has been removed from this realm."

That was all that needed to be said and Zhao E's expression become even harder, which was quite a task. "I dislike those who do not follow the rules and regulations, while Empress He was not a saint she was certainly a better leader than Dong Zhuo will ever be, my full support is yours."

Zhao E was a very fickle woman and while she was a strong warrior and amazing with the sword, due to months of training to exact vengeance she was a strong supporter of the law and Wang Yun wasn't 100% certain she'd follow through and that could be disastrous.

"The plan is for Cao Cao to have a private audience with Dong Zhuo, present him with this jeweled sword as a gift and when his back is turned, slay him with it and with his cousins try to escape before the assassination is detected. Regroup with his forces and lay siege on the army."

Cao Cao nodded at his part, having already rehearsed it through in his mind and was not worried about the potential failure. Wang Yun turned his attention to Zhao E and proceeded to tell her of her role. "You will lay on the oustide with a small army, the Lady Bian will arrive with a letter and once that arrives, attack the Dong Zhuo army to allow Cao Cao to escape and prevent the truth from leaking out."

"Communication between the two of you is key for this ploy to succeed, without it the ploy will crumble and even if Cao Cao does not succeed, if Zhao E attacks they will be thrown off guard allowing us to overwhelm the much larger army and eliminate Dong Zhuo."

Zhao E and Cao Cao shared a glance, the two were familiar but were not exactly on close terms but Cao Cao was willing to work with others for the greater good and while Zhao E was incredibly stubborn and righteous. Cao Cao had doubts that she would pull through but history proved she was tough and dedicated, so he was willing to give her a chance.

Wang Yun smiled wearily, thoughts rushing through his head such as those of Diao Chan. Perhaps if this ploy worked, she could remain innocent and the Han would once again become strong and stable. Peace would be returned and the tyrant dead.

The three conspirators spent the night discussing the plot, chatting about life and preparing their plan. All were enjoying the last moments of potential freedom, all tried to erase any doubts of failure and eased their minds in preparations.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, a sly dancer was listening in with wide eyes and Diao Chan tip-toed back to her room, her head running wild with ideas. "Don't worry my dear father, I won't fail you. Dong Zhuo will be dead, regardless of what becomes of me."


	3. Starstruck

The atmosphere in the capital of Luo Yang had such a somber feeling, it would of caused even the most cheerful person in the land to lose their smile and have it be turned into a frown. Only a few individuals had a smile on their faces, majority of them belonging to the Dong Zhuo faction.

Luo Yang had all learned of Empress He's death but there was no grand funeral, no chance for anyone to pay their respects as she had been buried unceremoniously next to her husband and her son. It was early 190 and everything had changed in just a short period of time.

The Prince had now become Emperor Xian following the death of Empress He but everyone knew that he was nothing but a puppet, he was destined to be controlled by many marionettes unless someone was able to cut his strings and set him free.

Diao Chan recalled that the Han had been faced with challenges from a group of bandits, they wore yellow scarves on their heads and she believed their leader's name was Zhang Jue but in that period of her life but that time period in her life she was going through certain circumstances and was unable to remember exact details.

Everyone had worked so hard to combat those villains and Chan wondered briefly if the same would happen to Dong Zhuo, he was a cruel and terrible villain after and needed to be dealt with immediately before he could cause further devastation to the land.

She sighed as she pinned the flowers into her hair and stood up slowly, forcing a smile upon her face as she waltzed out to greet her father, who she had no doubt would be awake and would most likely still be entertaining his guests from the other night. Sometimes, even her father underestimated just how well he had raised her.

As her dainty, delicate and light footsteps brought her the attention she smiled charmingly at her father and the guests that were still there, with a slight bow to acknowledge the guests out of respect, her eyes returned to the elderly Wang Yun.

Out of the corners of her eye, she witness the quite attractive female guest, Zhao E as she recalled her name for eavesdropping last night, hand the male guest a letter and utter the words. "Respond as quick as possible, this is very important." The man merely nodded his head and continued to look at the beauty before him.

"Please forgive me for intruding father, since I'm up would you like me to make you and your guests something?" A tilt of the head and a slight smile on her pink lips, she considered charming the guests, specifically the male one, as practice for the real thing.

"That would be lovely my dear, I'd like a tea and the guests would love..." He trailed off before telling her what the guests desired, Yun took a moment to asses the situation and decided that the guests could use some form of entertainment. "And if you'd please, I'd like you to perform a dance or a song after that."

"Of course father." A nod of the head and Diao Chan remembered that most men liked obedience and quiet, they might like the idea of a struggle at first but they wanted to be dominant and while Chan considered what exactly Dong Zhuo would want from her when they met, perhaps she'd be lucky and he'd want nothing from her.

As she poured the tea, she made purpose to be as slow as possible to absorb all the information and all the talking. The woman sounded highly unimpressed by it all and the man questioned her father as to who Chan was, she smiled when Wang Yun's response was that she was his beloved daughter.

Walking back and with a innocent smile, she served them all the tea. "I do hope it's to your liking." Chan said as she stepped back and allowed everyone to drink, she was still a mere servant and she had to obey the social normality and rules.

"You're Diao Chan right? I've heard rumours of your beauty but they seem to do you no justice, I've also heard that you are a dancer. Could you perhaps do a little something for me and the other guest, Zhao E. My name is Cao Cao." The man, Cao Cao, spoke and Chan remembered her teaching, smile, nod and unless it was degrading always do what they ask of you.

Diao Chan performed a short yet flawless dance, one that inspired all those who watched and drew a smile to all of their faces, even the woman who looked extremely stern. "That was beautiful, thank you Diao Chan. I will look forwards to seeing you again. May fortune smile upon you."

After saying those words, Cao Cao nodded to Zhao E and Wang Yun and departed, Zhao E turned to look at the pair. "It's quite amazing to me Wang Yun that you're daughter is such a talented girl, keep her locked tight. Don't allow Dong Zhuo to even have the opportunity to gaze at her."

Once the two guests had left, Wang Yun focused his attentions on his daughter. "I invited Lu Bu out to see you today, we'll both need to establish a bond with the Grand General if we want our plan to have any chance at success. If all goes well he'll be enthralled by you and unable to tear his eyes away. He'll be promised your hand in marriage before we send him on his way."

With a sly smile and a twinkle in her eyes, Diao Chan giggled. "Oh father, don't be concerned. Lu Bu will simply be starstruck by my mere presence and he'll be nothing but a ring to place on my finger." While she was acting calm on the outside, inside she was scared and frightened but she would not tell her father of any doubts she had she would advance into the dark and dance her way though to the light.

Her heart told her she wasn't ready for this ploy but her mind told the heart it'd just have to change it's ways and become used to chaos and deceit. One could only wonder if she could change her heart quickly, she wondered that too.

Diao Chan was intrigued by this Lu Bu figure, she had heard like everyone else the rumours of his skills, his strength and his betrayals. Her mind was frightened by his very name but her heart was longing that the rumoured demon could perhaps have a heart. All she could do was wait and find out which was right the heart or the mind.

Lu Bu grunted as he was frustrated and annoyed, he didn't care about marriage, he didn't care about having a beautiful woman by his side. He disliked weakness and all he wanted to do was fight strong opponents and his now adoptive father Dong Zhuo was able to provide that for him.

So when he was contacted by a mere minister of the Han court Wang Yun and was asked if he'd meet his daughter Diao Chan for a potential meeting, he was not impressed and if it was not for the advice of his friend and confidant Zhang Liao, he wouldn't of rode Red Hare over to the house.

Once Red Hare, the fastest and most beautiful horse in all the land, was tied to the tree outside Lu Bu prepared to barge in right through the door. He cared little for respect and if anyone wanted his respect they had to earn it in a battle, this Wang Yun had currently earned no respect from Lu Bu.

Wang Yun was not shocked by the rudeness of Lu Bu nor was he surprised by the warriors ability to push open a locked door with ease, the elderly man adorned in purple and blue merely smiled at Lu Bu. "Ah, General Lu Bu how wonderful it is you could arrive and early too! I wasn't expecting you to arrive so soon, people please prepare a feast for the mighty Lu Bu!"

The slight flattery did not affect Lu Bu in the least and he was set in his opinion, while the man seemed humble and kind he was still a politician and all politicians hid a secret of some sorts. "This will be quick, a feast does not need to be made for me."

"But general, I must show some kind of generosity for you even considering my offer and showing up. It will not take them very long, how about we discuss matters while we wait and after the feast I will introduce to my daughter and you can decide if you want to accept my offer." Wang Yun smiled as Lu Bu relaxed slightly.

Wang Yun offered Lu Bu a seat and the persuasive man managed to lull him into feeling secure and relaxed, Yun assured him that nothing would be forced upon him and he just felt that a man as magnificent as Lu Bu deserved to have the land's most beautiful woman by his side.

"When will I get to meet her?" Lu Bu grumbled bored as he began to feast on the meals served before him and downed the wine offered. "Patience General, my daughter had an exhausting day and needs some rest." His smile disappeared and he took on a sad tone. "She was quite upset yesterday and spent the whole day crying, all this turmoil must be getting to her and I'm afraid in my old age I'm unable to care for and provide comfort."

"And you want me to protect her?! Ha, how ridiculous. I won't babysit a wife." Lu Bu scoffed before downing a few more cups of wine, Wang Yun shook his head and began to speak once more. "Oh no, you misunderstand. She doesn't need to be protected, she knows a little in the ways of war. I just hate seeing her sad and I know she'd be much happier in your arms."

"I'll consider it." Was Lu Bu's simple response but both of the men knew that Wang Yun's words were having success on the general. "General Lu Bu, I think it's time to introduce you to my daughter. The lady Diao Chan."

That was her cue and Diao Chan walked in eyes immediately locked on with the general as she smiled charmingly and bowed, "It is an honour to meet you lord Lu Bu, I hope you have enjoyed your visit. My name is Diao Chan."

His face changed from one of boredom into a look of lust, he was starstruck by her raw, natural beauty and he could see all the curves and could see that she wasn't a mere girl, she was developed. He had heard rumours of her beauty but he never believed hearsay, especially since this time they were all wrong.

Diao Chan's graceful demeanor had already lured in the grand and might Lu Bu, this inspired confidence in her and she sat and talked, entertaining the general and she knew that she had already got him wrapped around her little finger without much effort at all.

"Please tell me of all your exploits Lord Lu Bu, I've heard many rumours of your strength. They say you have the strength of a thousand men! I like to think that perhaps, you are even stronger then a thousand!" War frightened her but she could pretend to be interested in it if it aided her ploy.

After a while of talking, Diao Chan stood up and boldly kissed Lu Bu on the cheek. "It was very nice to meet you, my Lord. I do hope you accept my father's offer..." Her hips swayed as she walked away, Lu Bu's eyes never leaving her body.

Lu Bu had this strange desire to protect her, he wanted to have her and he wanted her to be his and only his. He would make sure that no other man would touch her, Diao Chan was a great beauty and the most beautiful woman deserved to have the strongest warrior in all the land.

"I accept, when will we be married?" Lu Bu said, he was eager to have her and was almost smiling. Wang Yun smiled and shook Lu Bu's hand, "Great general, in three days time the wedding will be prepared and my daughter will become your wife. I'm glad you accepted."

Lu Bu nodded and stood up to leave, "Wang Yun, I'll see you in the three days. Make sure no other man wants to marry her because she is to be my wife." Lu Bu said with a stern voice before leaving, Wang Yun allowed himself to relax. Phase one of the ploy was complete.

The next day was the day phase two of the ploy would commence, the day that would officially mark the start of the ploy and she knew it was far too late for her to back out of the ploy now, especially when Dong Zhuo himself was coming to inspect her for his harem.

"Relax dear, nothing bad will come of you. I can assure you that, I won't allow him to lay a filthy hand on you without suffering the consequences." Wang Yun said in a comforting manner and Chan smiled up at him, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Oh father, you are far too kind to me. I'm a mere dancer, this is my life now and I will make sure I do all that I can to help you. I'm doing this for you." It was Yun's turn to smile and he briefly wondered what he did to deserve such a kindhearted daughter.

 _'Oh Nu Wa I'm so afraid, can you please look after me and give me the strength and courage to go on with this mission? I'm so frightened...'_ Diao Chan prayed inside of her head as she closed her eyes and simply hoped that time would pass her by quickly, she had heard many terrifying things about Dong Zhuo and she dreaded the idea of being his concubine.

Soon enough, Dong Zhuo arrived and events remained very similar to the first. Wang Yun served him with a feast and gave him a substantial amount of wine but Dong Zhuo's eyes trailed down her body, drool was forming around his mouth and he truly reminded Diao Chan of a wild boar.

Fat, disgusting, dirty and needed to be put down but Chan smiled nervously and Wang Yun casually played off her nerves as her being so excited about the prospect of being his and she readily agreed with his statements.

"Chan! Get your act together, you need to make a better impression on Dong Zhuo!" Yun whispered harshly to his daughter and she nodded, skipping over to Dong Zhuo's side and with a shaky smile she made general conversation with him, making sure to use Lord each and every time.

"I heard that you can play the erhu perfectly before I make you my concubine, don't get me wrong you are extremely beautiful and I've never seen anything more pretty then you in my entire life, I need to be proved that you have talents. After all if such a pretty face has absolutely no talents, what is it's use?"

"I can sing and dance as well and I'd love to do all of those for you my Lord but I've been dancing all day with joy at the fact that you were coming over to see me, I'm so honoured and I'll love to play for." Chan smiled and the perverted look on Zhuo's face became more apparent.

A few songs on the erhu and Chan knew that she had gotten the fat man's attentions and whereas Lu Bu was completely hers, she hadn't captured the whole heart of Dong Zhuo and she reminded herself that her now first goal in the mission was to capture every single part of Dong Zhuo until it belonged solely to her.

A lecherous grin found it's way to Dong Zhuo's face and his eyes scanned her whole body once more, looking her over once more as Diao Chan forced herself to smile brightly at him, the mere thought of the revolting pig touching her made bile rise up into her throat.

"I'll take her! Pack her things, tomorrow she will be my concubine and will be moved into the palace immediately! Rest assured, she'll have a different room than the other concubines. You, Wang Yun, will be required to join my army. Failure to comply will result in our execution and our precious Diao Chan's imprisonment."

Dong Zhuo's hand cupped Chan's face and he tilted it up, inspecting her as if she was a prized possession and smiled darkly with an evil chuckle. "You are mere perfection, fear not my dear. One as beautiful as you will be safe under my watch. I look forward to having you serve me, both in my army and in your duties as my concubine."

"You are a most precious flower, my sweet Diao Chan. I am a very lucky man, just as I am enthralled by your mere presence so will be the court. It's a mere tragedy that Empress He passed so suddenly, you could of taught her a thing or two about beauty."

Diao Chan used all her might not to flinch and puke at his touch and talk, she felt like she a mice and he was the vulture waiting until she was too wounded to run and then he'd go in for the kill. She was worried for her father being in the army, he was an elderly man and if she was not also in the army, she'd volunteer to take his place. Somewhat unconscionably, she wondered how Lu Bu would feel about all this and she wished that she was his and not Dong Zhuo's for this ploy.

* * *

 **And that marks the end of the 3rd chapter and the start of Lu Bu's and Diao Chan's relationship, I still haven't decided if she'll fall in love with him or if she'll merely use him to further her goals. Wang Yun will use his DWBlast design throughout the series and Lu Bu was in his DW8 outfit and appearance. I hope I'm portraying Diao Chan well, I'd hate to have her be completely OOC. I also hope my portrayal of Dong Zhuo (who uses DW8) was alright, he's much crueler in this story than the original series.**

 **i hope you all liked it, please try to review! I appreciate and enjoy any reviews, I want to hear constructive criticism and if you want to ask me questions about any this story, the future sequels or any other stories feel free to PM!**


	4. Welcome to the Palace

Beautiful, flawless and strong white horses adorned with plentiful of gold and silver jewelry with an excessive amount of glamour were walking at a slow pace, leading the equally excessively adorned carriage. It was a stylish ride and one fit for a Queen.

Diao Chan didn't feel much like a Queen at the current moment as she stared out of the small window almost somberly, it was becoming way too real far too soon for this little dancer and her hands were shakily clutching onto the soft, green seat as she willed herself to remain strong, or at the very least fake the strength she so desperately craved.

"Hmm, my poor dear. You seem to be very upset." A voice called out startling the young woman who was alone in the carriage for the whole ride to the palace prior to that second, her hand found it's way to a knife and she raised it, heart pumped wildly as her blood rushed through her arteries hurriedly as she was extremely nervous and surprised by the shock appearance.

"Who... Who are you? How did you even get in here! Get out, I'm not afraid to run this knife through you." Diao Chan practically yelled as her other hand also grabbed the knife and she was on her feet, ready to pounce. The vision of a beautiful dancer dressed in glorious grey and pink garments trying to stand threateningly with a knife made the intruder laugh.

"My name is Zuo Ci and my dear, don't be alarmed I'm merely here for a chat with this intriguing dancer of darkness. How ironic that you think by dancing in the dark, light will envelop the world. But perhaps, your dance will prove this old man's perspective wrong. I certainly hope so." The old man mused to himself as his purple robes swayed with his laughter.

Diao Chan didn't relax a single bit as her blue orbs narrowed and the gold knife was reflected in her eyes. "This dancer of darkness does not want a chat, you want to witness my dance? How about you witness my dance of death. Get out, I won't tell you a third time."

The man merely raised an aged, pure white eyebrow as his wrinkled face scrunched up in confusion and his head tilted to observe the woman further. "Oh, my dear. Don't be alarmed by me, I offer you no harm during this meeting between us. I believe it will be the first of many."

She fumbled with her shaky hands and slowly, in a trance like motion, placed the dagger down as she kept her eyes locked on Zuo Ci as her muscles tensed up. "If you have something to say, I would suggest you speak now sage."

"I'm merely here to suss you out, Lady Diao, I believe that you have the potential to dredge out the chaos and remove the filth that plagues the land." His eyes twinkled with a knowing spark, one that Diao Chan wasn't sure meant. "Hmm, yes, I do believe you will serve the heavens well."

"Farewell, dancing maiden of Luo Yang. I do believe we will meet up once more, we will perhaps even be allies at one stage but I fear if the darkness of which you are dancing within overcomes you, we will be forced to become enemies. I pray to Nu Wa that a situation such as that will never arise."

Before Diao Chan to could get a word out, the man disappeared in a swirl of purple and white smoke, after a few seconds passed, she visibly relaxed and hid the dagger in her clothes once more as the carriage rolled to a stop and she could hear the driver call out that the ride was over and she had arrived at the palace.

Her fair, delicate hand was held by the driver as she was escorted and helped out of the carriage and she offered a dazzling smile as she took place beside her father, who took a separate carriage, he too was coming to live in the palace. As much as she loved him, she was unsure whether he was coming to watch over her and ensure her safety or if it was for the safety of the mission.

All she felt like was a pawn in a much larger game than she was aware she was in, perhaps she was significant enough to not become sacrificed for the game to progress in the right direction and for the succession of her side.

"Cao Cao is late, the plan has been set back for a later date. We must not act suspicious and remain unaware of the real reason behind our stay at this palace. You must not make any enemies or they'll target us when the ploy is foiled or enacted with precision." Wang Yun whispered to his daughter, she felt slightly offended by how he was reminding her how to act.

"Father, you must remain calm, if you walk in with all this tension and nerve they are going to assume you are plotting something and they will remove us." Wang Yun grumbled some inaudible words but he relaxed and the wizened man let a large smile grow on his face as the two walked, side by side.

A large court was waiting for them to arrive and all eyes were on Diao Chan, surveying her and studying her curves as her body stiffened at being the object of affection and she was well aware that this wouldn't be the only time it would happen.

Dong Zhuo smiled creepily at the two, his eyes also on Diao Chan as he stood up off his black, gold, overly-lavish throne and walked towards the two and soon majority of the eyes were on the leader. "Welcome to the court! For those who are unaware, the minister Wan Yang will now serve as a war adviser."

"His beautiful daughter, Diao Chan, is to not only be my concubine but will also serve in our army for the glory of me!" His cackles croaked out like a crow and Diao Chan scanned the room to look at the members of the army and her enemies.

A sickly pale man covered in purple and green robes with black hair that gave the appearance of an evil sorcerer seem to be the only man who was unimpressed by her, his hands with the talon-like nails clutched over what she presumed to be a wound on his side. This man was Li Ru, the palace attendant and former master-strategist.

Next was a man with a pig-like face with short black hair and a round body, dressed in black and grey armor with a purple cape draped over him, his mouth seemed to be hanging open with drool falling out as his eyes roamed over Diao Chan. This man was definitely Guo Si, the guilable and idiotic general of Dong Zhuo

A man that she had seen before and identified as Li Jue was standing next to Guo Si, Li Jue had stylish grey hair and reddish-purple robes with silk flowing out of his headdress. Judging from looks alone, it was clear that out of the pair Li Jue was far more intelligent but physically weaker than Si.

A fierce re-headed warrior dressed in elaborate purple armor with some gold designs on it that gave off the look of powerful. Hua Xiong was standing strong and resisted the urge to keep his eyes on Chan's body, she had heard this man was extremely loyal to Dong Zhuo and almost as strong as Lu Bu. She would keep a watchful eye on him at all times.

There was only one other woman in the room and she was extremely gorgeous, fair skin in a tight, revealing white and purple dress with raven feathers atop her head and with a coy smile, she waved to Chan in an attempt to be friendly as she clung to a general.

An extremely powerful general by the name of Gao Shun was also in the room, covered in black armor with hints of red and dark hair pulled into a ponytail, he was one of the few men in the room who cared little for her appearance. Perhaps this man could be of use to her, one could only hope and she needed all the allies she could find.

Diao Chan was unable to spot Lu Bu anywhere in the court and for some reason, her heart seemed to sink her chest a little. For what reason? She was completely unsure but there were to her generals that stood out to her.

A man who stood next to the woman with tan skin and a intelligent but suspicious face dressed in purple with a turban over his tanned head and dark hair. According to the grapevine, he was Jia Xu and was temporarily taking over Li Ru's role as Master Strategist.

The last was Zhang Liao, a man who was devoted to his life as a warrior and loyal to Lu Bu but not Dong Zhuo, the man looked quite magnificent in his black and red armor but he stared suspiciously at her, it was clear to anyone that he already distrusted her.

Eventually the court was excused and Diao Chan looked at her father and they shared a calculating look, already they were being scrutinised and already Chan was formulating just who her enemies were and who her allies were. Chan briefly wondered if soon, she won't be a pawn in the game for much longer and instead move up being the Queen.

One could only hope, she wondered if in order to succeed she'd have to change who she was. Oh Nu Wa, she wished it'd never have to come to that situation.

* * *

 **Extremely sorry for the very late update! This chapter was shorter than the others as it was more of an introductory chapter and introduces all the main characters in Dong Zhuo's army. All of those characters will be somewhat important in the series, not much will get screen time in this story however. Hua Xiong, Guo Si, Gao Shun, the woman/Zou Lou (Zoushi) all use their Blast designs.**

 **Li Jue will use Yu Fan's design as Li Ru has stolen his, Zhang Liao and Jia Xu are in their DW8 Alt outfit so they fit in with the army. The story is now halfway done and next chapter will have more action and will defs be longer! Please review!**


	5. The First Crumble

Wang Yun was not concerned with the ploy, everything was in motion and everything so far was working along smoothly. Cao Cao's time to arrive in the palace was drawing near and Zhao E had surely by now gathered and prepared the small army for the raid.

Everything was running along smoothly so the wise old man had absolute no reason to mull over or over think his plan. Perhaps they'd lose a few soldiers or so but a loss such as that was necessary for the survival of the Han and the demise of the tyrant and the chaos brought about by him.

Perhaps if Wang Yun thought to consider the conflicting emotions and thoughts of the other key players, he'd of been able to prevent the small mishap, the tiny crack in the structure that would lead to the entire destruction of the well designed plan.

Zhao E was by no means an ordinary woman, she was not a simple stay at home wife like every other woman out there. E was a woman who was well known and very influential for her strong sense of justice and her tale of vengeance. The hardened glint to her eyes only supported her claims of strength.

But even woman as talented and tough as Zhao E had a point where doubts overcame them and clouded their judgement, leading to mistakes that could not only cost them but also others around them. An air of irritation surrounded the lady.

Dark brown eyes scoured the environment and watched the sea of purple that flooded the streets, pale fingers griped the sharp silver sword tightly as the sound of marching echoed in her ears. "Has Cao Cao failed to respond once more? I refuse to wait much longer."

Makeshift tents were set up and small groups of soldiers were going about their day, during several activities that ranged from simply eating to being on the look up or practicing their fighting abilities by sparring with one another. E could not allow these men to suffer because of the ignorant Cao Cao's mistakes.

Each day, the purple sea would wash in closer and closer and each day she waited and waiter, worry etching into her face and the anger slowly began to boil. Eventually, if not given what she desired the anger inside her would erupt.

Miscommunication should be the major flaw in that simple ploy but between Cao Cao and Zhao E, it was the only problem and it wasn't fixed immediately. How much longer would she have to wait before his letter would arrive, she was promised she'd be informed.

Not only was she risking her life but she was risking the lives of all those men who had agreed to support her in her makeshift army and listen to the commands of a woman who's only feat was one kill and placing their trust in her to ensure the death of the corrupt Dong Zhuo.

A scoff made it's way past her lips. She knew that sly Cao man was incapable of simple tasks such as reporting to her what time she should have her army ready. Three more hours, she'd give him to get that letter sent. It was dangerous to be camped outside of Luo Yang, especially since after Empress He's failed assassination attempt.

Dong Zhuo had tightened security and more patrols were being sent out, they were very lucky they hadn't been discovered yet but it was only a matter of time before one patrol wandered outside Luo Yang and into their camp. It was only a matter of time before she was discovered, before they were all captured and executed publicly.

Just like how it was only a matter of time before she withdrew from Luo Yang and cancelled her role in the plan. "Lady Zhao E, we've still not heard from the General Cao Cao." A small soldier informed her after the second hour passed.

Was the lady Bian too concerned with the life of socializing to deliver a letter or maybe he entrusted it to a simple minded messenger who forgot how to do his job, whatever the reason it didn't matter to Zhao E. Her and her army's survival relied too much on the timing of her attack.

An arrangement was made that a letter would be delivered to Zhao E and from that, she'd be able to determine the time of her attack. She sighed with frustration as she continued to look from the cliff she was on down at the city.

The last hour passed and Zhao E made up her mind, if Cao Cao was foolish enough to not consider her part in the ploy then she'd evacuate her army to save them from a suicidal, unsure attack. Black hair swayed wildly in the wind as Zhao E made her way to her tent, scavenging for a scroll and ink.

"Send this to Wang Yun, it's very important and tell him that Zhao E apologises for her actions." E said to a messenger and shoved the scroll in his hands, he stood there shocked for a mere moment but when she raised her brow, he sprung to life.

"Am I making the right decision?" She asked herself, hand on her head. "No, I am making the right decision. It is the only choice, I can't risk the lives of these men if I'm unsure as to what is really going on. I am choosing the only decision."

"Brave men! Gather around, I have something to tell all of you. Due to miscommunication with the other conspirator Cao Cao and lack of information, I have decided that we will pull out of the ploy to ensure the safety of all of us, it's with deep regret that I must tell you all that we will not play a part in the death of the tyrant, perhaps we will in the future but not in this day or the next!"

Zhao E took a pause, all of them men around had crestfallen faces, all of them had eagerly given their support to ensure the death of Dong Zhuo, all were willing to risk their lives for the greater good but it turns out that it was all for naught.

"We will retreat and disband. I wish you all the best in whatever the future holds for you all." In a matter of mere moments, the tents were gone and every trace of the solders had vanished, as if they were never there. E turned her head to look at Luo Yang for a sign that she had made a mistake.

Nothing showed up and E began to march on, sword in hand towards Chang'An, her home. "I hope all is forgiven between us Wang Yun but my heart will not allow to risk the lives of innocents. Perhaps in the future I can provide support and follow through with my aid. I pray to Nu Wa and Fu Xi that your plan will succeed without me."

From her small room in the palace, an unsettling feeling engulfed Diao Chan's body and her hand was delicately raised to cover her heart. Blue eyes wide and alert, something had just gone terribly wrong and Chan was aware that something was beginning to crumble, she wasn't sure what exactly but something in relation to her father had just gone terribly wrong.


	6. It Begins

Three men walked together, united and each with resolved and determined expressions on their face and movements were synchronised as three left feet left the ground at the same time and returned to the earth at the same time. United these men were, similar thoughts entered their minds. Was this mission really going to pay off or was the idea of success just a dream?

Only time would tell and time wouldn't need to wait very long before it gave it's verdict. The mission, slay Dong Zhuo. But while these three men may have similar thoughts and movements, they could not be any more different.

Leading the pack was a magnificent man adorned in blue fabric, some of it faded into purple, gave off an air of royalty and ambitions. This man was Cao Cao, a man with not that may noteworthy achievements under his belt but left an everlasting impression on all of those who he met.

Second was his right-hand man, Xiahou Dun, spiky black hair and a muscular build. Dun gave off a strong vibe, a powerful aura that suggested you didn't want to mess with him. Dun was loyal to Cao Cao completely as he walked alongside his Lord, a large podao in his hand.

The last of these men was not as intimidating, not as awe-striking but very impressive nonetheless as the slightly over-weight cousin to Dun, Xiahou Yuan marched with the others, coated in armour with a large bow in one hand, arrows in a quiver and a large silver rod on his back.

"Dun, Yuan it is time. Get into position, remember the plan and remember the banquet that will await once we bring home the pig's head." Cao Cao called out, the cousins nodded and Dun stalked off to eliminate any pesky guards that would be in the way as Yuan, with surprising agility, moved onto the top of the wall where he'd search out for any scouts and bring death to them with his arrows.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao himself was heading straight to the large golden gate of the palace, his face betrayed no hint on any emotions he may be feeling as he walked with such confidence. His hand rested on the handle and pushed it open, his only thought was that this plan better succeed.

An elderly man, with balding white hair and dressed in lilac robes, had a worried expression etched into his face. The time was now, the ploy he had conceived with general Cao Cao and the woman Zhao E was starting to play out. Retreating to his bedroom, not wishing to oversee the ploy due to his worry that it may not succeed and he knew it wasn't his time for death in the case it was discovered he was plotting to kill Dong Zhuo.

Neatly polished shoes lay atop on his grand bed, a startled gasp and the light blue silk Wang Yun carried fluttered towards the ground as his hands rushed to his forehead and began to caress it. The sight of the shoes on his bed leaving an imprint to his memories.

An ill omen and Yun now became even more worried. This was not a good sign, not a good sign at all and he could feel his heart pump faster and faster due to the new found anxiety that plagued his mind. Prayers were now his only defence, what happened next would be out of his control.

Diao Chan was well aware of how special this date was and she could feel it in her bones that it wasn't going to end well for her side. Her delicate hand tracing the intricate designs on the golden throne she stood next to, she didn't have the courage to gaze upon the man who sat in it, nor did she have the strength to return the longing look Lu Bu was giving her. She was certain he must be feeling betrayed but it was her father's job to deal with him, not hers.

She did however have the strength to look at the man who had just waltzed into the room, a beautiful golden sword with jewels of glorious green, ravishing red and bewitching blue that lay upon his hands as he bowed before the currently all-powerful Dong Zhuo.

Too distracted by the sword, she didn't bother to listen to the conversation between the man who had become her master and the man who could potentially become her saviour, to her ears the conversation was merely hushed whispers that she was unable to decipher.

Her calculating blue orbs watched the two men's retreating backs as they escaped into another room, she felt an urge to follow and eavesdrop but she knew better. Once she could no longer see them and Lu Bu, the faithful bodyguard who had slowly pursued the pair, her eyes searched the room.

The crafty Jia Xu, purple turban and all, had a knowing smirk on his face and Chan was able to see that he was already aware of the ploy involving Cao Cao and that he was formulating strategies to bring an end to Cao Cao's life. She remained uncertain if those strategies spared Dong Zhuo's life or allowed him to be felled.

She watched silently as he ordered the guards, she overhead certain words spoken by him such as secure, exits, hurry, look out, fail. Intelligent enough to piece together his sentence and judging via the troops sudden movements out of the room, he ordered them to secure all the exits both in the palace and outside the palace, to hurry and to be on the look out for any enemy troops that may be in the area and that they better not fail.

Subconsciously allowing herself to move backwards, she was only vaguely aware that she was being engulfed in darkness as her legs coated in pink fabric migrated slowly towards the shadows. Her eyes continued to watch and her brain was overworking itself.

Perhaps she was acting rashly, perhaps she wasn't. Her expertly crafted body was absorbed into the darkness and the only trace of her existence was the flickering pint skirt that occasionally appeared in the light for a seconds before she retreated out of the palace.

Xiahou Dun growled in anger as he skillfully cut down another group of guards, if one were to look past the angry man they'd see a trail of bodies. "Why do they keep on coming? I knew there was going to be plenty of guards but these are just worthless peons that seem to grow in size when I kill one!"

Heavy footsteps echoed through the distance and Dun turned around just in time to deflect a blow from the giant Guo Si, Dun snorted as he took a good look at his face and the black armour. Ironic that one of the tyrant's best men was reminiscent of a wild pig.

"I kill you," Guo Si uttered dumbly as he raise the wooden club above his head, this wasn't his main weapon but he would use it anyway to clobber this pesky 'little' man that stood before him. Xiahou Dun grunted as blocked another heavy blow. Perhaps this duel would be able to entertain him.

A heavy blow to the head was Guo Si's main strategy when it came to fighting, Xiahou Dun scoffed and either evaded or blocked each blow. Eyeing off Si's helmet, he found the pig like resemblance of both his face and of the helmet to be very fitting.

"Stand still!" Guo Si grumbled lowly in rage as Xiahou Dun continued to evade his heavy and hard blows, swinging wildly and missing, Guo Si decided to discard his club and instead picked up a pike, the wood was a dark black and the blade looked sharp.

"Now you don't stand a chance intruder!" Si chortled as Dun proceeded to roll his eyes but tightened his grip on his weapon. The first move was once again made by Si who moved with surprising agility thrusting his weapon forwards, missing his target but slashing to the left in a fast sweeping motion.

Dun was barely able to react to the attack and blocked the blade just as it was an inch away from slashing through his stomach. Quickly pushing the weapon away, Dun kicked the larger man in the stomach and slashed his weapon in a downwards diagonal motion, landing a hit on Si.

Following his hit, Dun took advantaged and pursued his attacks, furious slashing and stabbing the enemy. There was little Guo Si could do to protect himself, he clearly was outmatched much to his dislike as he feebly raised his pike to block a blow.

 **CRACK!**

The sound echoed and Si's small, beady eyes enlarged with shock as he stumbled a step back. By no means was Guo Si an incompetent general, slow yes, but he was not to be underestimated and this nobody had just beaten him in combat. How was that even possible? Revenge was already in his puny mind.

Xiahou Dun decided he was bored with his opponent and proceeded to end the duel with a kick to the face, a slash to the chest and a second blow to the ribs before Guo Si stumbled around before falling flat onto his face. "How pathetic. If all Dong Zhuo's top men are as weak as him then eliminating these vermin won't be an issue."

On the other side Yuan was having a much easier time the Xiahou Dun, for someone his size he was incredibly stealthy as he alternated between batting the troops down with his rod and using it as an arrow to slay enemies far away.

"Hah! This is so simple I don't know how this Dong Zhuo guy was able to attain such power! His army is incredibly weak." Yuan muttered to himself as he skewered another soldier before lazily aiming and firing his rod in another's head.

"I'm practically done, now all I need to do is wait for Zhao E with the reinforcements and I'll be all set and Dun and Cao Cao will be able to escape with ease." His big belly was jostled by his intense laughter. "Ha! Cao Cao will have no problem gaining even more power after such an easy job with killing that tyrant."

Xiahou Yuan dispatched two enemy soldiers as he looked over the gates to find no one, he frowned in confusion before realisation dawned on him. "That traitor! I knew we couldn't trust a damn woman to do the job, well looks like it's up to me and Dun to rescue Cao Cao once he cuts off that pig's head."

Back on the throneroom, things hadn't exactly gone to plan the way Cao Cao desired it to. Dong Zhuo did indeed fall for the ploy, as expected, but just when his back was turned and Cao Cao was ready to kill him Lu Bu had him pinned to the floor.

Evil, soulless and black eyes were squinted as a fat finger was pointed at Cao Cao in the middle of the room, Dong Zhuo was on his feet and glared down. "Insolent fool, how dare you try to assassinate me?! You are an impertinent nobody!"

Cao Cao was ignoring his shouts and whines as he was pinned down onto his knees, two royal guards were holding him down with spears. _"I need to think. I am too capable to die here and now, I need to figure a way out of this mess."_

It seemed like the Gods were smiling on Cao Cao as Guo Si stormed into the room, panic filled the room after he began prattling on about how they were under attack. Jia Xu's eyes narrowed, to the others they had no clue what was going on but he knew exactly was happening and he glanced at Cao Cao with interest, perhaps this man was actually capable of putting down the tyrant and if he was, Jia Xu would enjoy formulating a plan to eliminate him.

Jia Xu chuckled almost silently to himself as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Cao Cao was a magnificent man to even be able to coming that close to killing Dong Zhuo and was remarkable under pressure. Xu knew it was going to be very entertaining seeing his strategies put to use against him, Xu was certain that this man would be able to escape with ease and was going to potentially become a major threat in the future. It would be very entertaining indeed and he knew that Diao Chan had some connection to him, all he needed to do now was figure it out.

While the people gathered in the room were completely and utterly distracted by all these recent events, Cao Cao was not. Grabbing one of the spears he knocked one guard in the head and slashed the other one in a split-second. He hurled the spear at Dong Zhuo's head before turning around and fleeing in fast and powerful strides, never looking to see if the target was hit

The target was almost hit but Lu Bu was able to catch it just before it skewered through Dong Zhuo's brain. Even more enraged now that his life had almost been lost a second time, Dong Zhuo stamped his feet and began to bark.

"Get him! Get him! GET HIM! I refuse to allow that vile worm to even suffer a near death beating! I WANT HIS HEAD AND I WANT IT NOW! WHAT ARE ALL YOU USELESS, WORTHLESS SCUM DOING! START CHASING AFTER HIM!"

* * *

 **This is an edited version because the one I posted earlier was absolutely terrible, it was rushed as I got really sick of writing it halfway through but I was like forcing myself to keep going. I've just had 0 drive to write and then when I get the energy, it like dissolves as soon as I touch the keyboard. Ugh. Anyway only two, maybe three, more chapters left and then onto the sequel!**


	7. Cao Cao's Escape

General's Sword in hand once more, Cao Cao dashed out of the palace with great speed. He could sense that things had gone terribly wrong with the ploy, especially since Zhao E seemed to fail her end of the bargain. There was no discord or chaos in the enemy forces. This meant that all attention would be on him and he was sure that majority of these bandits weren't pleased with the fact he had almost, almost being the key and unfortunate word, killed their leader.

Dong Zhuo's intense shouting vibrated throughout Luo Yang and everyone had snapped into action, a sea of purple rushed to Cao Cao to fight him and leading the pack of hungry ants swarming towards their prey was the deadly Hua Xiong. Cao Cao was forced to a halt, raising his sword higher as he looked back towards the palace. Much to his relief, he did not see Lu Bu but he did see another battalion of ants and this group happened to be lead by Li Jue. He took a second to lament his fate and composed himself, standing tall diligently and regally. If he were to perish here, before he realized his true potential, he'd die fighting.

"No matter how many bodies you throw my way, you cannot stop the might of Cao Cao!" He boldly declared, before launching himself into the group of soldiers that began to surround him. A fast furry of stabs, slashes and strikes. The area surrounding Cao Cao was a blur and much of the troops were surprised by his prowess on the battlefield. Cao Cao, despite the overwhelming odds had the advantage against the soldiers sent to face. Bodies littered the floor around him and morale was starting to drop.

"Give up and face your fate!" Hua Xiong called out, his tone deadly as he prepared to strike down Cao Cao with his short halberd and was thrown into a state of confusion when the attack was blocked by a shadow copy. Quickly reacting, he swept his axe down and the shadow burst on the spot and followed that attack by stalking towards his target, only for another person to get in his way. Only this time it wasn't a shadow of Cao Cao, it was his loyal officer Xiahou Dun. "Auurghh! So you want to mess with me? I'll make you regret that choice, I'm Dong Zhuo's best general the mighty Hua Xiong!"

Xiong soon found himself blocking an attack as he lost the deadlock he had with Dun, weapons clashed and banged against each other and Xiong let out a ferocious battle cry. One which put all others to shame as hurled his body into Dun, knocking the man aside and attempted to stomp on him, Dun caught his boot and was able to throw Xiong to the floor. Both men stood up and engaged in another deadlock.

Li Jue had faced a similar problem to Hua Xiong as he was facing off with Xiahou Yuan, one hand clenched his sword tightly while the other pushed back his silver fringe as he cautiously circled around his opponent. Li Jue was nervous but he hid it well, he was not a strong fighter and normally worked with Guo Si, the two made a deadly pair as they combined brute with brains. "I don't know who you are but I suggest that you stand down at once. It's very unwise and foolish to make an enemy of Lord Dong Zhuo."

"Wanna die?" Yuan asked him in a serious tone of voice as he immediately launched into the offensive before Li Jue could make his move. He was annoyed that Brother Dun got the better opponents but the quicker he finished Li Jue, the sooner he could find a better opponent to defeat. He struck Jue with the rod and threw him into the air, firing his rod at him immediately and was only mildly surprised when Li Jue reflected the rod, landing on all fours.

Yuan didn't give Li Jue any more time to rest as he fired his rod at him, Jue narrowly evaded being skewered by it with a quick roll to the left and bouncing back onto his feet. "Guo Si, you idiot. If you didn't get yourself injured this fool would already be dead!" Grunting as he slowly raised his sword to defend a blow, he did manage to catch Yuan off guard with a quick quick to the stomach and a downwards strike with the sword that followed. Deciding that Li Jue more tough then anticipated, Yuan fired his rod at such a fast speed Li Jue was unable to deflect and was sprawled across the floor after it impacted.

However, Yuan's hand was not unharmed from the powerful attack and it needed to recover briefly as the recoil proved to be too much for him. This did not go unnoticed by the enemy who swarmed among him like bees to the honey, Yuan was forced to fight unarmed and with one hand only. "There's too many of you little rascals, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep it up for."

Cao Cao was having a much easier time than Xiahou Yuan was, after all his only opponents was the soldiers and they all had low abilities and terrible fighting styles. Dropping his sword, it was immediately picked up by a shadow clone who rushed into a group of five and was about to cut them down when it suddenly exploded, not only wiping out the five but also numerous others that had been approaching.

Cao Cao dashed over to his sword, picking it up and jabbing it into the ground in a successful effort to create a minor shockwave, throwing the soldiers into a state of dizziness as they stumbled around and attempted to regain their footing. However, none of them were able to regain their footing as within a mere instance, their legs were cut off the rest of their bodies. Throwing his arm forwards, Cao Cao created another dark shadow which propeeled itself into another small group, moving in a zigzag motion and slashing at any troop that got in it's path.

One troop made the mistake of escaping the shadows that Cao Cao conjured and getting to close to the real Cao Cao, ready to strike him down with his sword raised only to have a sword expertly thrust into his chest. He slumped to the floor, his brown eyes wide and jaw hanged open. "More... Insects..." Cao Cao grumbled as another larger group of troops threw themselves at him.

Hua Xiong and Xiahou Dun seemed to be evenly matched, blows were traded and neither had been successful in landing a hit. For someone that had just been involved in a duel prior, Dun was holding his own with excellence and was cleverly holding back on the offense, utilising defense until an opportunity arose, one which he'd be able to use to gain the edge.

The buffer Xiong only needed to hold the halberd in one hand, due to it's short length but opted for using both hands to maximise the power in his attacks. He was reminded of why he was serving Dong Zhuo, not just because he was loyal but because of the thrill of glorious battles and this battle was certainly a glorious one. Despite the fact he did not know who his opponent was, he had to admit despite his anger that he was more then a match.

Halberd raised above his head, Hua Xiong was ready to slam it down into Dun's head but the attack left his stomach exposed and Dun kicked Hua Xiong into the chest, downing the man and suddenly leapt up and slammed his weapon into the ground with a mighty smash, it devastated the area and the ground splintered and Hua Xiong winced in pain.

"Dun, Yuan. End your battles now and head for that gate! We need to get out of here, this is merely a tiny fraction of Dong Zhuo's army and the three of us alone will not be able to last much longer." Cao Cao called out as he cut and ran, not once looking back as he sent a shadow clone to deal with the troops following.

Yuan was currently being jumped on and had multiped troops piled onto his body but with a mighty grunt, he stood up and shook them all off, grabbing his rod and with lightning fast moves, slammed it into the head of Li Jue and joined Cao Cao on running towards the door. Li Jue was unable to pursue as the hard blow knocked him unconscious.

"Until next time." Xiahou Dun informed Hua Xiong as he, similar to Cao Cao, cut and ran. Hua Xiong was in hot pursuit and the three cousins made it past the gate. All three woking in perfect unison as they slammed the large gate shut and quickly locked it with a nearby piece of wood. Hua Xiong and the troops banged on it, attempting to knock it down but so far their efforts proved useless.

Xiahou Yuan was about to sigh in relief when an arrow soared towards his head, an inch away from piercing but he was able to catch it just in time. "What the hell is this? I thought we made it!" Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun barely paid him any attention as they looked for the attack.

They were in a large dark room but the woman standing in the middle was beautiful, the darkness only seemed to illuminate her pale skin and make it shine. Brown hair and brown hairs, she was wearing a short white dress outlined in purple that exposed much of her beautiful body. Her kissable pink lips were formed into a mischievous smile as a hand was over her mouth, in a poor attempt to disguise her giggles. But there was no bow and arrows anywhere on her, so Dun questioned where the arrow came from as Cao Cao looked her over, a smirk on his face.

"Oh you did make it, your now away from the palace but you've entered a trap. Dear Jia Xu devised it and Lord Dong Zhuo decided to implement it into this large chamber. Meet the arrow wall, as long as you're standing in certain spots, arrows will soar all around you. Isn't that a little dangerous? Well it was nice seeing you, I do hope you manage to escape in one piece. But first, you'll have to deal with the trap and the horde of troops that are coming your way." The gorgeous woman, who couldn't be a day older then 19 spoke, as she turned around slowly banging a gong which sounded loudly and slipped through the door.

"Who is that woman?" Cao Cao asked, oblivious to the arrows that flied around them as his eyes were filled with lust. "I want her, once we escape we're going to find her and she will be mine. I'll make sure of that." Dun rolled his eyes and roughly pushed his cousin out of the way as an arrow nearly entered his body.

"Cao, now is not the time to let such stupid thoughts enter your brain. She alerted our presence to the enemy and now we have not only this trap to deal with but also a numerous amount of troops. We need to leave, now." Cao Cao nodded his head at Dun's words and the trio advanced, only just managing to run past the arrow wall without a scratch.

From the shadows, Jia Xu stood watching as they cut down the enemy with ease and fled away, hand rubbed his chin as he looked on thoughtfully. "Cao Cao is definitely a mysterious man, to overcome my trap with such ease and put down those troops. He is magnificent, I wondered earlier if it was just pure luck but now I know, it wasn't luck. I look forwards to seeing what else he can do."

The escape went on and Cao Cao was able to devastate the Dong Zhuo army by unleashing the tigers that Dong Zhuo had kept locked up as pets. As the beasts preyed upon the troops, Cao Cao was alerted to shrieking of females and he followed the shrill screams.

What he saw however was not what he was expecting as a two handmaidens, dressed in pink and purple garments were huddled together crying while a large, very buff man with a bald head was protecting the two with an axe as he cut down any who stood in his way.

"Impressive, most impressive. Soldier, what is your name?" Cao Cao called out as he approached him, the terrifying man turned and raised the axe ready to defend the woman but soon lowered it down when he knew that Cao Cao was not a member of Dong Zhuo's army.

"I am Dian Wei, sir." Even his voice was able to send chills and Cao Cao smiled as he stood in front of the two ladies and began to help Dian Wei repell the troops and Dong Min, Dong Zhuo's brother, Min was small and of average build with small muscles but he was no chance of Dian Wei who took him down with ease. "I have an offer for you Dian Wei."

Meanwhile Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan wondered where the hell their cousin had disappeared too as they dispatched the last of the enemy troops, the rest distracted by the tigers or busy defending the exits. "We can't last much longer Brother Dun, we need to get Cao Cao out and fast."

"I know Yuan but Cao Cao has disappeared, I hope he has not pursued that woman. I'm feeling a little fatigued, I know that if I don't escape soon then I'll be unable to help Cao Cao. We need to find him and get out." Dun answered but before the two could begin searching, Cao Cao returned with Dian Wei following him loyally and the two shivering handmaidens behind them.

"Dun, Yuan meet our newest recruit this is Dian Wei. My new bodyguard. Now let us continue our escape." It all seemed to be a big reunion as in that moment, with a glance the graceful Diao Chan stepped out of the shadows and bowed her head to Cao Cao before hurriedly running a few steps and called out. "lord Cao Cao, come this way."

Cao Cao eyed her suspiciously but he remembered that she was Wang Yun's daughter, who he was aware was also involved in some ploy of his and decided to trust her for this one moment. The others mumbled disagreement but didn't object.

Diao Chan remained miles ahead of the group as she lead them down a secret path, where no enemies had occupied. If anyone saw her, she'd be dead immediately and so would her father. She questioned why she was risking her neck for a man she barely knew and men she never encountered before but she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Lord Cao Cao, if you follow this path you'll be able to make it out of Luo Yang safe and sound. I wish you good luck as I'm unable to accompany you any further." Cao Cao nodded the men escaped, Cao Cao had done the impossible and managed to escape Luo Yang alive.

Diao Chan played a very minimal but very vital role, by giving them the secret route, she ensure their safety after all if her ploy was to fail, she had a feeling that Cao Cao would be able to bring an end to Dong Zhuo's tyranny. Diao Chan morphed back into the shadows and returned back to the palace, now inspired by Cao Cao's daring and risky escape.

"Now, I know that there is a real chance to accomplish this mission. I promise Father, I won't fail and I won't stop until Dong Zhuo has left this world and peace has once again returned. No matter who ever gets in my way, I will not be stopped, not now."


	8. Epilogue

A mere month had passed since Cao Cao's daring escape and things had progressed quickly. Diao Chan was forced to step up her efforts in her own ploy as Wang Yun lamented on the failure and invested more of his time working behind the shadows, pulling the strings and manipulating many in an effort to aid Diao Chan with her mission.

Cao Cao had not rested either, his resolve merely doubled and within a week of his retreat, he was back on his feet and recruiting. His ever growing army now consisted of his cousins Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, his personal body who he found during the escape Dian Wei, his wife the Lady Bian, adviser Xun Yu and his two newest generals; Yue Jin and Li Dian.

Cao Cao remembered his failed assassination and looked down on it disdainfully, he had come so close and he would of if it wasn't for that damn Lu Bu watching him.

 _Having a discussion with Dong Zhuo, in the middle of his throneroom, surrounded by his mindless thugs would have intimaidated a normal man. But Cao Cao wasn't a normal man and he remained calm as he discussed with the tyrant before revealing he had come to offer him a gift. Zhuo's greedy eyes scanned over Cao's body, finding the beautiful sword that had been tied to his waist and offered Cao Cao to follow him._

 _Cao Cao followed Dong Zhuo into the room, golden sword in hand as he waited for the perfect opportunity. Listening to Dong Zhuo as he spoke, he knelt down like any dutiful, loyal servant would and watched with hungry eyes, willing for Dong Zhuo to turn around. His grip tightened. Dong Zhuo turned and Cao Cao raised the sword, all he needed was a few more seconds and he'd kill him._

 _Lu Bu had followed the pair, suspicous of Cao Cao's suddenness and boldness, he watched Cao Cao raise the sword and tightened his grip on his halberd. Cao Cao saw the Lu Bu in his perfectly polished sowrd a second too late and vainly attempted to hide his attempt of Zhuo's life._

 _And the more few seconds that Cao Cao needed to take Zhuo's life did not end in his favour, restrained and dragged out to the throne room. Dong Zhuo cackling malicously as he summoned Li Ru to his hide, giving him a front row seat to watch Cao Cao's coming death._

Cao Cao had called for the formation of a coalition after he was done recruiting and building up strength, one which invited many warlords, specifically those with some degree of power or a large army, to put down Dong Zhuo and end his reign of tyranny before it could grow to be unstoppable. Within days he had received numerous answers.

Ma Teng refused to turn on his ally Dong Zhuo and join the coalition, he did not give a reason.

Zhang Lu politely declined to be personally involved, due to his close proximity Dong Zhuo and isolation from the allies, but offered aid in the form of sending a few supplies.

Gongsun Zan accepted and the white riders marched to meet with Cao Cao. Zan had also formed a volunteer force, one very similar to the one that had arose during the time of the yellow turbans and was lead by Liu Bei, acting as a subordinate and support force to Gongsun Zan.

Sun Jian had also accepted and while his army was only small, they were very ferocious and having a member as famed and revered as Sun Jian could only do good for the Coalition. With his small but tough army, Sun Jian joined the Coalition and was appointed as the vanguard, the main attack unit.

Yuan Shu was reluctant but he saw the benefits of removing Dong Zhuo from power, Shu did not join for the benefit of China but he joined so he could reap the rewards. Disgruntled by the country rabble leading the vanguard and his half-brother Yuan Shao also being in it, there were wonders if he'd be a helpful ally.

Liu Yan had also refused the call, his reasoning was that he was too far away to be of any use, his subjects would be too exhausted to fight after arrival and he was also dealing with nearby rebelling tribes. There were also rumours that Liu Yan was falling gravely ill.

Many other minor warlords had answered the call, some accepting, many refusing. Zhang Xiu in particular expressed in a secret note that he desired to join but was a subordinate to Dong Zhuo and was unable to turn on his uncle Zhang Ji, who served in Dong Zhuo's army.

The last to answer was Yuan Shao, the strongest of them all and the only one with an army large enough to take on Dong Zhuo without the support of others. He was a childhood friend to Cao Cao and loyal supporter to the Han Dynasty. Yuan Shao had accepted.

A meeting was held between the main leaders as they discussed their game plan and who the commander of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition would be. Cao Cao sat at the head, Xiahou Dun and Dian Wei on otherside of him. Directly across was the golden Yuan Shao, accompanied by a glamorous woman and a gorgeous man that put many women to shame by his prettiness. The Tiger of Jiang Dong sat with arms folded, loyal retainer Huang Gai and his wife Wu Guotai had both come along with him. Yuan Shu eyed the others distrustfully, glares alternating between Sun Jian and Yuan Shao, next to him was his best general Ji Ling and the beautiful Lady Feng. Gongsun Zan was the last warlord, he had brought the three oath brothers with him to the meeting.

Cao Cao called out for silence, all eyes on him. "I propose my friend Yuan Shao as Grand Commander. Any objections?" There is a low murmuring among the people as they discuss with each other wether or not they agree, eventually they come to a consensus and Yuan Shao is named Grand Commander.

Yuan Shao rises to his feet as he bows his head before speaking. "I am honoured to be named Grand Commander, it is to be expected that one as noble as I would be nominated and placed in charge to lead us into victory against the heinous tyrant but I will thank you all."

"Now, Dong Zhuo controls not only Luo Yang but also Chang'an and has a vast army at his disposal, not to mention the famed Lu Bu and the mighty Hua Xiong. Defeating him will be a challenge for us all, even if we are being lead by the nobility. So I propose that a small army circles around and secures the escape route from Luo Yang to Chang'an."

Everyone agreed, that sounded acceptable.

Yuan Shao turned to look at Sun Jian. "You, Sun Jian, you will lead your army an attack Si Shui Gate. You will be the vanguard and I am relying on you to conquer it." Yuan Shao turned to Yuan Shu. "Yuan Shu, you will lend Sun Jian support and are in charge of the provisions." Yuan Shu nodded his head agreeing but he was having doubts if he should actually support the country rabble.

"From there we will use Si Shui gate as our main base and attack Hu Lao Gate with the majority of our forces. Once Dong Zhuo is cornered, he will attempt to flee. We will pursue and trap him between the small army deployed ahead and our main army. The tyrant will be dead."

* * *

Diao Chan frowned as she glanced down at the outfit, it was very revealing and hid almost nothing. Her blue eyes looked it over, despite the revealing nature, a very pretty pink dress with an aqua sash tied over the top, a numerous amount of gorgeous white flowers on the back, various pieces of white, gold and dark green and unattached sleeves to top it all off.

"Sometimes, in a chaotic environment one must reinvent themselves in order to persevere." She mubled to herself, undoing her hair and changing her whole appearance. Diao Chan had to admit, she looked very pretty and added a wide assortment of jewels to heighten her look.

It was very different to her previous appearance, the outfit much more suiting for a seductress and her hair much more simple. Despite knowing she looked good in it, Diao Chan felt a little unsure. She had an amazing body and this just managed make it more obvious.

This would attract much more men to gaze upon her, more lustful eyes feasting upon her vulnerable body. Dong Zhuo could hardly take his eyes off of her before, once he saw her in this it'd be impossible. What would Lu Bu think? Would he be charmed or disgusted? Would it affect the mission?

She had to physically shake her head to remove those questions and unwrapped a box, the final peice to the new her. A weapon, one which she had never used, one which was different to the dual maces she fondly recalls practicing with.

A golden chain whip, with purple and pink flowers adorning it. Grabbing the chain whip in her hand, she looked towards the sky, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes and her lips curled upwards into a pretty smile.

"Let's see what you can do."


End file.
